There Is No Second Chance
by damonswarriorprincess
Summary: AU/AH – Living life as a happy married couple, Damon and Elena, will find out that in life there's no second chance as they face each other's insecurities, fears and much more.
1. Prologue

_I'm ready now to start a new beginning  
__With all our hopes and all our dreams  
__And I know the stars will shine for you and for me  
__From the moment you believe_

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I don't believe in fate. I think people have the ability to choose their own path and only they are responsible for their own actions. I made my own choices and those choices are what got me here. I am happy with my life, but not with every single choice I made. But, in life, you learn that those wrong choices are what got you to the place you will one day be. You learn that in order to be happy, you need to make wrong choices.

My name is Elena Gilbert. I am married to the one and only Damon Salvatore. We live in Mystic Falls and the story I'm about to tell you isn't all sunshine and rainbows. He and I made to a lot of wrong choices, but in the end those choices were worth it. You'll learn more as I tell you every single thing that happened, and it all started with a simple _yes_.

* * *

_Flashback  
14__th__ February 2010_

_Dear Diary,_

_ It's finally Valentine's Day! I've been waiting for this day for a long time. I have plans with my boyfriend Damon. We've been dating since my birthday (22nd June) almost five years ago. I haven't seen him since the New Year. I miss him so much even though we talk through Skype every day. He's studying at Stanford University and many people have told me that long distance relationships don't work, but so far our relationship has been pretty good. Of course we always have our fights, but we love each other and that's what matters right? I did try to apply to the same university he went to, but I ended up going to Emory University, which is one of the best universities for aspiring writers. Anyways, I must go and get ready for mine and Damon's date tonight. Wish me luck._

_Love, __  
Elena_

_ I close the crisp on my diary and start getting ready. I look around and notice that throughout the years nothing in my room changed. It's still the same as it was when I was a little kid, except it has a lot less toys scattered around the floor. I smile at the memories and turn around to go shower. Twenty minutes later I come to my room and start getting dressed. I pick a simple strapless black dress that Damon bought me on our first year anniversary. Memories of that day are disrupted by the sound of the doorbell._

_ I run downstairs excited to see Damon, almost falling in the last steps, but succeeding to keep my balance._

**_Damon's POV_**

_ Words cannot describe how much I've missed her. Medical School is harder than I thought it would be and I'm probably going to get late on assignments but if it means I'll be able to see and feel her then it's worth it. I'm planning on proposing to her. We've been dating for two years and even though we're young I love her more than I've loved anyone else. She's been there for me during the time's I most needed her and the other way around. We've seen each other at our worst and even then we stayed strong. We've lost so much time already. We've known each other since we were in diapers and we've been best friends at least that long._

_ I gather my thoughts as I ring the bell of her house. I wait two minutes until I hear someone softly swearing. "She must have tripped", I softly smile. Knowing her since a young age has got its pros._

_ Suddenly she opens the door with a big grin on her face and looking a bit flustered, probably from almost falling._

_ "__Hi," she smiles._

_ "__Hey kitten," I smile as I made a move to kiss her while holding her waist in order to pull her closer to me._

_ We stay there for a few minutes trying to kill the longing until I pull away. "Lena I'm afraid that if we continue like this it'll end with us in bed rather than enjoying the date I have planned for us and trust me when I say you want to go to that date." She groaned at me for holding off._

_ "__Mr. Salvatore are you hinting about something?" she looks at me with a curious look on her face._

_ "__Maybe Gilbert. You will find out eventually" She gives me a weird look trying to read me. To be honest if she could read me right now she would see a whole lot of insecurities. What if she says no? What if she doesn't want to be with me forever? What if…?_

_ My thoughts are interrupted by her. I look at her only seeing love and concern plastered on her face "Damon… is there something wrong?"_

_ "__No kitten. I was just thinking about something," I smile trying to reassure her._

_ She looks at me with a suspicious look on her face. "There's something wrong with you Salvatore, you better not be hiding anything from me."_

_ "__I'd never hide anything from you 'Lena. Always remember that."_

**_3 hours later (date night)_**

_ Our date night couldn't have been better but now it's time for the dessert also known as the proposal time. I ordered six cupcakes; each of them had a word written across the top. There's a chocolate cupcake that says "Will", a strawberry one that says "You", a vanilla one that says "Marry", then another chocolate one that say "Me", another strawberry one with "?" and the final one, vanilla flavored, with a heart in it. Some people would say cupcakes are for children but for Elena they mean a lot. Every Sunday she and her parent's would bake cupcakes and even after their death I know she still bakes them. So the cupcakes have a meaning for her and now, hopefully, they'll mean even more._

**_Elena's POV_**

_ I see the look on Damon's face as the waitress coming towards us carrying a tray with six cupcakes on it. As she comes closer I can see that there's something written on the cupcakes and I curiously try to peek without standing up._

_ She stops to talk to some guy whom I do not know and when she comes she places the cupcakes in front of me. My hearts starts beating faster and faster with each word I read and when I finish reading I can hear Damon saying "Will you marry me?" his eyes filled with love, adorableness, and a bit of insecurity._

_ I can feel the tears threatening to fall from my eyes and they do as I whisper a solid, filled without any doubt, "Yes."_

_End of flashback_

* * *

_28th April 2014_

Damon and I have been married for four years and until now everything has been going well. We got a house from the money my parents left me after their death, and even though it's not the biggest house, it's ours and we couldn't be happier with it. It's a one floor pale green house with two bedrooms. I had planned on using the spare room for our future baby, but I had to pull it off has an office because I soon learned that Damon has some sort of 'kid phobia' as he likes to call it. I believe he's afraid to fail as a parent, and given his past with his father it is understandable. I hope he'll change his mind in the future because ever since I was little I wanted to have a baby.

Damon usually gets home at 6pm, but it depends on the days. Being a cardiologist means that he spends more time at the hospital than at home, but he shows how much he loves me every day which makes it okay. I miss him sometimes though. I've been feeling under the weather lately, hopefully nothing is wrong and it'll pass in a couple of days. If not, I'll schedule a doctor's appointment. I became a full time writer and housewife. I got myself into cooking lessons which made wonders. I never thought I could cook.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of keys opening the front door. Damon is finally home.

* * *

**AN - so here it is the first chapter aka the prologue. I'm new at writing even though I'm a long time reader. Thank you to chiara (survivorslikedelena) who gave me moral support. To my beta emily (damon-sexatore). And to my beta readers justine (cupcakedamon) and zayra (typicaldamon) without them I wouldn't even post this. **

**You can follow them on tumblr. And if you have any question or simply want an heads up (aka spoilers) don't be afraid to message me on tumblr (damonswarriorqueen).**

**Please let me know what you think :)**


	2. Chapter 1 - One and Only

**AN: OMG I have to thank all of you for the amazing response I got in the prologue. 27 follows, 12 favourites, 20 reviews and 650 views. I cannot begin to describe how happy I am for that. You guys give me inspiration to continue this and I have to admit the last chapter was all about fluff. This one doesn't exactly have drama but I assure you it's gonna start in the next couple of chapters. If you follow me on tumblr and actually read what I post, I've hinted about something hahah and an guest reviwer guessed where I was going so yay. Also I try to respond to every review because you're all amazing. Anyway... let's move on with the story.**

* * *

_I don't know why I'm scared, I've been here before_  
_Every feeling, every word, I've imagined it all_  
_You'll never know if you never try_  
_To forget your past and simply be mine_

* * *

30th April 2014

**Damon's POV**

Tomorrow is worker's day. For once I'll have a break from the hospital and I'll get to spend an entire day with the amazing woman that is currently sleeping soundly by my side. She's snoring lightly, looking just as innocent as she did when she was twelve. Some might think it's weird that by the age of twelve I was already watching her sleep, but we grew up together as best friends and sleepovers were required every single Friday night. Her parents agreed to it as long as there was no funny business, of course she was way too young to ever remotely think about it. I was her first though, which is extremely comforting for me. I couldn't imagine her sleeping with anyone else. I wouldn't allow it. Ever…

* * *

_Flashback _

_Summer 2005_

**_Elena's POV_**

_Dear Diary,_

_ Damon and I have been dating for a couple of months now and I feel like I'm ready to take THE big step. Even though we haven't been dating for that long, he and I have been best friends since forever and there's no one I'd want to give my virginity to other than him. The question is, am I ready for it? People say that the first time hurts and Damon has experience, a lot more experience compared to me. I feel like I might do something and maybe… I just… will he still love me if I'm not good at sex? Sex is important to guy's right? I can't lose him. I really can't. I love him._

_Love, _

_Elena_

_ I close my diary and run downstairs as I hear the smoke alarm go off. My mum must have burnt breakfast again. I roll my eyes at that thought; it's the same every single week. Whenever dad doesn't cook mum always ends up burning the food. Especially at breakfast, yes, I do believe she has something with burning the breakfast. Hopefully my cooking skills will be a lot better; otherwise I'll have to fully trust Damon to cook. I smile at the thought of having a future with Damon. Maybe it will come true._

_ "Elena!" I hear my mom calling "Can you help me in here?"_

_ "What was it this time mum?" I say with a mocking tone._

_ "Don't get all snarky at me missy. It's not my fault that this damn smoke alarm is broken."_

_ "Yeah, blame it on the alarm," I mumble._

_ I rush to help her in time or we'll have another visit from the fire department. I do believe one of these days they'll stop coming here. And when a real emergency happens I'm afraid they won't come. I'm obviously exaggerating now._

_ After three minutes the damn thing finally stopped beeping. It was starting to give me a headache._

_ "Mum is there anything left to eat or did you manage to burn every single ounce of food we had in this house?" I laugh until she glares at me. This woman scares the shit out of me sometimes. I'm not even kidding._

_ "Yeah," I gulp "I'll just eat some cereal… I guess"_

_ I silently eat trying not to get myself into more trouble than I already am. Suddenly the doorbell rings and as my mum opens the door I hear a very familiar velvet voice "Hey, Miss Gilbert."_

_ "Damon, what a pleasant surprise." I can almost see the smile on my mother's face, I swear if Damon wasn't my boyfriend and if he were a little older my mum would jump on him herself. I cringe at that thought. That would just be weird. I finish my breakfast and walk, also known as run, straight into Damon's arms. "I've missed you," I whisper as I kiss him._

_ "I've missed you too kitten." _

_ I lose myself in Damon until I heard my mother coughing. Upsy… I might have forgotten mummy bear was in the room._

_ "Your father and I are going out tonight. Jeremy is doing some school work at a friend's house and I don't want any funny business between the two of you tonight," she glares at both Damon and I. "Is that clear?"_

_ "Yes mum." "Yes Miranda."_

* * *

_ Later that night_

**_Damon's POV_**

_ "'Lena… your mother did say, and I repeat, no funny business and I'm afraid if we keep this up I won't be able to control myself." She groans as I pull away from our little make out session._

_ "Don't you want it though?"_

_ "Want what Elena?" I ask a little confused._

_ "You know… to be intimate…" She blushes slightly and I finally understand what she meant._

_ "Do I want it? Yes, of course I do 'Lena. I am a man after all. But just because I want it doesn't mean I need it right now. I'll wait until you're ready. You know that I will."_

_ "But what if you get tired of waiting?" She has a frown on her face as she says this._

_ "I'll wait as long as you want me to wait. I love you Elena. I can not have sex if that means I'll have you by my side."_

_ "What if I told you that I think I'm ready for this?" She smirks slightly and to be honest I can't really tell if she's ready or not._

_ "Then," I say in between kisses. "I don't think I'd say anything else."_

_"I promise Damon. I'm ready," she smiles and I nod as my heart starts beating faster._

_ This being her first time I decide to take it slow. I've had a fair amount of experience, but Elena is new at this. I suck her bottom lip as she starts undoing my belt. Her hands shake with both lust and nervousness "Relax kitten," I whisper in her ear as I help her with my belt. I push her shirt up over her head and run my finger through her long chocolate hair. We manage to take each other's clothes leaving only the underwear. I reach around to unclasp her bra and I look at her face to see her blushing. Then I realize it. I'd never seen her fully naked before. Of course I haven't. "You don't have to be embarrassed," I say as I take her bra off and press a soft comforting kiss to her lips. "You're so beautiful," I breathed. "Just tell me if you need me to stop."_

_"I'm fine," she offers me a reassuring smile. "Just keep going."_

_I nod and move to press a trail of kisses down her neck, stopping to suck on the spots that drive her crazy and she whimpers softly. I stop at her breasts, looking up at her to make sure she's ok, and she nods. I smile back at her before taking them in my hands and kneading the soft flesh, and her nipples harden under my hands. I move forward, lowering my mouth to her right breast, taking the nipple into my mouth._

_"Oh my God," she moans arching her back up as I switch to the other. I press one more kiss to each of her breasts before moving lower and kissing along her flat stomach until I reach the top of her underwear._

_"I'm going to take these off," I tell her and she nods, swiveling her hips to help me pull the pink lace down her long legs and I toss it aside. She's completely bare, for the first time, and I see the blush return to her cheeks as I take in every inch of her impeccable naked skin. "You're perfect," I tell her as I move between her thighs and trail my tongue along the inside of her leg._

_ "D-Damon," she gasps as I get closer to her core. "What are you doing?"_

_"Shh, just relax I promise you'll like this and it'll help make it feel better," I assure her and she nods resting her head back on the pillows._

_I lean forward just a little and lick a trail along her glistening slit, making her cry out and arch her hips up off the bed. I press my hands on her hips to hold her steady and work my mouth over her until she's practically dripping onto my tongue._

_"Fuck, Damon-oh God," she's moaning as I continue with my mouth and insert a single finger into her entrance. I move to suck on her clit and insert a second finger once she's adjusted to the first. She's incredibly tight so I scissor my fingers slightly to stretch her out and she moans loudly again until I feel her tighten around my fingers signaling her orgasm. I ease her through it slowly continuing the thrusts and lapping at her clit until she falls back, completely spent with a wide grin on her face._

_I kiss my way back up her body and she smiles at me with pure adoration in her eyes before pulling my mouth down to hers._

_ When we separate she looks at me, her eyes full of lust, and I understand. She's ready. I stroke her hair and trail a hand down her body while kissing every inch of her chest. I place myself at her entrance and I stare into her gorgeous brown eyes. "You ready?" I ask and she nods reassuringly. I slowly enter and she lets out a small whimper of pain as I push past her barrier and I see that she has a tear in the corner of her eye. I wipe up her tear and whisper soothing words into her ear while I stroke my hands up her arms until her pain seems to lessen and she pushes her hips up signaling for me to continue._

_ "Oh my god, Damon!" she moans. And I feel her getting more and more aroused by the minute._

_ "Fuck, Elena!" I pick up the rhythm and the house is filled with both of our moans._

_ "Damon!" She yells in ecstasy "Go faster!"_

_ I groan as I pick up the pace and I feel myself getting closer and closer to the edge so I reach down to press my finger over her clit, rubbing it in small circles until she's screaming and fluttering around me. As I release deep inside of her time sees to slow and we both dissolve ourselves into the pleasure._

_End of flashback_

* * *

Our first time was definitely special, but it got better over the years. I look down at Elena and smile at how exhausted she looks. We had a long night and even after all these years I still manage to wear her down. I smile at how beautiful she looks. I don't think I'll ever get tired of waking up with her in my arms. I groan as hear my hospital pager beep. There must me an emergency. I try to wake up Elena to tell her that I'm leaving earlier. It is 7am though so I doubt I'll be able to get her to talk much. She's a snuggler in the morning and I love this time of day when I'm able to hold her while she struggles to wake up.

"Elena, baby, wake up," I whisper as I attempt to wake her up.

"Noooo!" She groans. "Let me sleep."

"I have to go to work kitten. The hospital called."

"No," she says as she holds me tighter to her. "You're staying here with me."

She looks so damn cute right now and it actually pains me to leave. I try to push myself away from her and she groans at the lack of closure while mumbling something I can't understand.

I get out of bed and get ready to shower and leave for the hospital. I look back at the room before leaving and see that Elena has moved to my side of the bed and she's currently cuddling with my pillow. That one has issues sleeping alone, that I can tell you.

Before leaving I walk to the bed and lean down to press a kiss on Elena's forehead. "I love you," I whisper.

* * *

** Elena's POV**

I can hear Damon leaving and I soon fall back into a deep sleep. I woke up later with a fresh start. I put my hand on the other side of bed and realize that it's cold. Damon must have left for the hospital already. I frown as I try to remember if he woke me up in the morning. I vaguely remember Damon trying to wake me up. My whole body feels sore today and God knows that I've been feeling down lately. It's not only today, really. I've been feeling more tired than usual, not to mention the nausea I've been getting. I think I'm coming down with something. As if it's magic, the nauseating feeling comes back and I jump out of bed and run to the bathroom. I put my head on the toilet seat as I feel another round coming up. Oh yeah… I'm definitely coming down with something.

When I feel like there's nothing left in my stomach to throw up I stand up and hold my weight on the bathroom counter. I look up at my reflection in the mirror and barely recognize the person staring back at me. I'm as pale as a ghost right now. I never really understood that expression, but right now I do. I shake my head and turn the hot scalding water of the bathtub on. I sit there until the water gets cold trying to relax my sore muscles. A smile ghosts across my face as I remember last night. I quickly wash my hair and my body and get out of the bathtub with the water now cold. I get dressed in some black jeans and a white tank top.

I leave the bathroom and go to the kitchen as I think about something to eat that won't do much damage to my upset stomach. I go with some toast with ginger ale.

I finish eating and I suddenly hear my phone ring. It's Caroline.

"Hey Care."

"Elena, hi! I was wondering if you wanted to come over. I have some exciting news."

"Mmmh, yeah sure. I didn't have much planned for today."

"Great. I'll see you very soon then. Love you."

"Bye Care. Love you too."

I wonder what exciting news she has to tell me. I put my cellphone in a brown leather purse along with my keys and rush to the car to get to Caroline's house. We've been best friends since we were kids. Like Damon and I actually, except I didn't date her. Wow… that would be… mmh I have no words actually.

I park my car in her house's driveway and I look up to see her already waiting for me in the porch. Wow. She's really excited and probably dying to tell something.

"ELENA!" she shouts.

"CARE!" I shout trying to copy her super-duper exciting voice.

"You won't believe what happened."

"I surely won't believe until you tell me," I laugh.

"STEFAN PROPOSED!" She shouts ecstatically and runs over to hug me tight.

"OMG CARE! That's amazing. I'm so happy for you."

She rants on to tell me how it happened. I'm glad she found Stefan. They seem to make each other really happy and I wouldn't want anyone else with my best friend. Suddenly, I feel the same nausea I did earlier and I push Caroline to the side and run to the bathroom barely making it in time.

"Fuck, Elena. Are you okay?" She asks in a worried tone.

"Yeah," I replied, my voice hoarse from throwing up. "I think I'm good now." My breakfast though. Not in a good place right now.

"Are you sick?"

"I don't know. I think I might be coming down with something," I say with a frown. "I've been feeling under the weather for a while now."

"Mmmh. Have you gone to the doctor?" She asks.

"I haven't. At least not yet. I thought it was some stomach bug, but I've had it for almost longer than a week so I am starting to get worried."

"You don't think…" she says with a surprised look on her face.

"Think what?" I remarked curiously.

"Elena…" she makes a break. "Are you pregnant?"

"What Care that's…" I think a bit about what she said and I realize that I haven't gotten my period yet this month. "Oh my God!"

She looks at me worriedly. "Elena… it might not be that, okay? But you should really take a test or something. Did you and Damon have unprotected sex whatsoever?"

"I don't… there was this one time, but he pulled out Car." I stated nervously.

"Still… you sit here and I'll rush to the pharmacy. I'll be back real quick," she leaves and I sit on the couch thinking about the possibilities and what would happen if I was indeed pregnant. What will Damon say? Will he accept this baby? He said he didn't want kids anytime soon and he's home right now. I wipe up the tears that begin streaming down my face. I suddenly notice that it's been ten minutes since Caroline left and that she would arrive shortly with something that could change my life forever.

"Elena?"

"I'm here."

"I bought these ones. This one has a smiley face which is completely weird considering that some people don't actually want to have kids which means it should have sad face," she rants.

Do I want this possible kid? I shake my head. Of course I do. There's no questioning whether I'll have an abortion or not if I am indeed pregnant. I'll have this kid no matter what. The real question is. Does Damon think the same way that I do?

I take the pregnancy test and Caroline gives me a reassuring smile as I enter the bathroom. Three minutes later I come out and I look up at Caroline with a both happy and scared look on my face.

"So?" she questions.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

**AN: So... she's pregnant or is it a false-positive mmh xD I have to admit I have a thing for pregnancies and yes haah this is more than just a possible pregnancy fic though. I think. **

**The official tag for this fic on my tumblr (damonswarriorqueen) is ritasfic . You'll find some spoilers there *hint hint* I also posted a picture of their house. I found one that I really like so yay :D**

**I wanted to thank Emily (my beta and friend) for the support (and btw she literally re-wrote the smut scene so if that is good it's all because of her) and also Zayra who is always pushing me to write. And Justine and Nat who strangely supported me on a plot that I'm planning. (which is gonna happen in 20 chapters). **

**Btw the smut scene. I really did struggle with that. English is not my native language plus I'm 15 and have no experience with sex whatsoever. So I'm really sorry for that disappointing scene. I did feel like it fit perfectly on the chapter hence adding it. **

**Don't forget to let me know what you think by reviewing (maybe?). I accept criticism or simple please update fics. Srsly, those actually motivate me to update. **

**Oh and I was asked for Damon and Elena's age so here are some important ages that I didn't tell you. **

**Damon 27 - 28 (15th November 1986)**

**Elena 24 - 25 (22nd June 1989)**

**Proposal - 14th February 2010 (Elena – 20 / Damon – 23)**

**Wedding - 10th July 2010 (Elena – 21 / Damon – 23)**

**First time - Summer 2005 (Elena – 16 / Damon – 19)**

**The first two arrows mean 27 going to 28 ahaha I made this on word and I hope you understand it. I might add other dates but for now this is it.**

**Sorry for the extremely long AN.**

**See you all next Sunday ;D**


	3. Chapter 2 - Breathe (2am)

_There's a light at each end of this tunnel_  
_You shout 'cause you're just as far in  
__As you'll ever be out  
__These mistakes you've made, you'll just make them again  
__If you only try turning around_

* * *

7th May 2014

**Elena's POV**

It's been a week since I found out I was pregnant. I still haven't told Damon. If you were to ask me why, I honestly wouldn't know the answer. I'm a little scared about his reaction. I mean, after all these years I know that he loves me. I am one hundred percent sure of it, but he told me he didn't want kids, especially with the career that he has. At least for now though. I'm scared of what he might do. Damon is… Damon. He has a unique personality and he's unpredictable, that's actually one of the things that made me fall in love with him. But it is also the one thing that scares me the most about him.

I can't wait much longer to tell him though; he's beginning to get suspicious. Morning sickness is hitting me hard now and I really do need to schedule a doctor's appointment to know how far along I am and if everything's okay. Plus I need to get prenatal vitamins. Other than that I don't think the stress of my worrying about telling Damon is good for the baby.

I can't help but wonder how the baby will look. It's crazy to think of a child running around with my features, or Damon's. I smile as I caress my still flat belly and imagine how I'll look with a swollen belly, feet, ankles and pretty much everything. Even though the timing is not right I couldn't love this baby more.

I didn't notice how exhausted I was until my eyelids started drooping and I fell into a deep peaceful slumber.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Who would have thought becoming a cardiologist would be so hard? No time for friends outside work, no time to spend with my amazing wife, and no time for myself. I can't tell you the last time I went for a drink and thought about everything. Fuck, I need it. Nevertheless I love my job, it's something that I wanted to do since I was a kid, and something that my mum wanted me to be. I miss her. I really do.

My relationship with my father is certainly rough around the edges; he never supported me very much, probably because I look just like my mother. I don't really care about what he thinks of me, what really pisses me off is how unsupportive he is of my relationship with Elena. For God's sake, we're married and he still thinks I'm going to screw her over. If there's someone that I'd never hurt intentionally it's Elena. Not to mention how rough he is with her.

Speaking of Elena, she's been acting weird lately and I can't wrap my head around it. I've been meaning to talk to her about it, but I never find the right time to do it.

I parked my car in front of our house's driveway and waited a minute to collect my thoughts.

I open the front door and call out for Elena. She doesn't answer. That's weird. I go to sit on the couch only to find Elena sleeping soundly and looking completely exhausted. I feel bad for waking her up, but I'm afraid she won't be able to sleep tonight otherwise.

"Elena… wake up kitten," I whisper shaking her softly

She groans before struggling to open her eyes.

"Hey… what time is it?" She says, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"It's half past seven," I whisper and she smiles before reaching up and kissing me.

"You're home earlier than expected."

"The hospital was rather quiet today and I came home earlier. Are you okay though?"

"Yeah… just tired, I guess." I can sense that she's hiding something and I don't know whether or not I should question her about it.

**Elena's POV**

"Damon?"

"Yeah?"

"I have to tell you something. And I'm not sure about how you'll feel about it."

"Okay…" he says a little confused.

"You have to know that I didn't plan for this to happen. It just did…" I say softly not sure how to tell him this.

"Elena you didn't cheat on me did you?" He asks trying to lighten the mood, but at the same time speaking seriously.

"What? Of course not! It's not that… it's… Damon," I breathe. "I'm pregnant."

So many emotions sweep through his face. Confusion. Worriedness. Anger. And if I knew better, even a little bit of excitement.

"Damon… are you going to say something?" I mutter worried about his lack of reaction.

"How long have you known?" He says, his voice lacking of emotion.

"I found out a week ago."

"Why haven't you told me earlier? Did you have a doctor's appointment already?"

"I couldn't find the right time to tell you and no I haven't. Not yet at least."

Suddenly he gets up and heads for the front door.

"Damon it wasn't my fault. Please don't leave," I whisper, tears threatening to fall.

He comes closer and kisses my temple. "Elena I will never leave you, especially over this. I just need time to think about all of this and I can't do it here with you."

"I can't do this without you."

"I know. I know. Just give me today 'Lena. I just need today to let this sink in. I will never leave you. I promise," he says reassuringly kissing my forehead before leaving.

I'm left alone with my thoughts. It could've gone worse right? He's still with me. I'm worried about what he might do tonight. He used to always go out and get completely wasted when we fought.

I watch him drive away and I decide to leave too. I can't sit here alone anymore. I need to go to the one place where I can think straighter. My parent's grave.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

She's pregnant. That was the one thing I simply wasn't expecting. My Elena is pregnant. I'm not ready for parenthood. Not yet. At the same time, I don't think she's ready herself and I have to be there for her.

What if I'm just as bad of a father as mine was to me? What if I fail my kid and lose him or her. Or what if I lose Elena? I couldn't bear to lose her. She's the most important person in my life.

I get to the Mystic Grill and order two shots of bourbon trying to clear my thoughts. It has been a while since I had a night off to have a couple drinks. And I fucking missed it.

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I drive to the cemetery and quickly go to the spot that I've been to so many times before. I sit down on the damp grass and look down at the headstone, my parent's names carved across the hard granite.

"Hi mom, dad…"

"You're both probably wondering what I'm doing here at this time of the night. Let's just say I didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't know if you have been watching me this last week, but I have some good news. I'm pregnant. Who would have thought, right? I wish you guys were here with me. I need someone to talk to about this and I'm not sure I can talk about everything with Damon. He's changed. He's not the 16 year who was insecure about everything anymore. He's much more secure in himself and I realized that I was in love with him shortly after you died. You guys somehow always knew it. He's good for me. I know he is and I really hope he'll support me throughout this pregnancy. I can't do this without him." I take a deep breath and feel tears on my eyes again. Damn hormones. "Thank you for listening to my rambles. Bye mom and dad."

Their death hit me hard when it happened. Damon was there to support me throughout everything; I don't think I would have survived without him.

I stop at a red light and will myself not to cry again. I don't even know why I'm crying. Damon told me he'd never leave me right?

The light turns green and I start driving. Suddenly, a red van drives through the intersection in the direction of my car and I try to slam on my breaks before it gets to me, but it was too late. The van hits the passenger side with a loud crash and the car starts to spin. I tried to control it, but everything was blurry and moving so quickly I couldn't do anything to stop it. I feel the pain spread through my whole body as everything goes black.

* * *

**Damon's POV**

Hours go by and I lose count of how many rounds I've had. In the middle of the night Alaric, one of my best friends whom I met at the hospital, joined me.

"So you got her pregnant?"

"Yeah," I replied.

"And how do you feel about that?"

"I don't know," I shrugged.

"How does she feel about it?" He asks.

"I didn't really ask." He gives me a judgmental look. "Oh, don't look at me like that, I was kind of shocked and wasn't really thinking straight, hence the night out."

"So you thought taking a break and getting wasted in a bar would be the better solution to your problems?"

"It sounded good at the time."

"Mmmh. You both need time to think, but as soon as you get home you better apologize."

Before I can reply I hear my phone ring.

"Yes?"

_"Damon Salvatore?"_

"That would be me."

_"I'm calling from Mystic Falls General Hospital. There has been an accident."_

* * *

**AN: I left you all with a bit of a cliffie though. Will she make it? Will the baby make it? It really will depend on my mood throughout the week ahah no but really I don't have any intention on killing my main characters especially on chapter 3.**

** I did warn you all drama was coming and this is not the only hint of drama we're gonna have on this fic.**

** Thank you so much for every single review, they really mean the world to me and inspire me to keep going. Since I left this cliffhanger I decided that I'd try to update before sunday. As a fanfiction reader I always struggled to wait after accidents and life threatening events. Damn, the waiting kills me.**

** Thank you so much to my beta Emily (damon-sexatore) without her this fic would simply not exists. I swear to god her work as a beta is the bestest.**

** Can we get to 50 reviews please? They really inspire me to continue. **

** See you next Sunday or earlier ;)**

** p.s. (if you have any questions or simply want a little heads up on the next chapter send me a message to my tumblr, elenaboobert, I am a huge spoiler giver)**


	4. Chapter 3 - Last Stand

_And I'll never make it without you_  
_I need a second chance_  
_Cause I want to make it about you_  
_I'm making my last stand_  
_It took a moment to say_  
_It wasn't you it was me_  
_I couldn't let you in_  
_Now I'm ashamed I pushed you away from me_  
_Now I'm afraid it's too late to save again_

* * *

_**Previously:**_

"Yes?"

_"Damon Salvatore?"_

"That would be me."

_"I'm calling from Mystic Falls General Hospital. There has been an accident."_

* * *

**Damon's POV**

_Elena._

_Accident._

_Blood._

_Baby._

_Hurt._

_Death._

A lot of thoughts were going through my mind and none of them were good. What the hell happened? Wasn't she at home? Is she going to be okay? I let the phone drop to the floor as my mind went blank. I felt numb.

"Mr. Salvatore?"

"Damon?" Alaric gives me a worried look and realizes something is really wrong.

**Alaric's POV**

As soon as I see the look in Damon's face and the phone dropping to the floor I realize something is truly wrong. I pick up the phone from the floor and talk to the person Damon was talking to before he went into this half-shocked state.

"This is Alaric Saltzman speaking. Who is talking?"

_"__Mr. Saltzman I'm calling from Mystic Falls General. I need you to get Mr. Salvatore here as soon as possible,"_ the nurse said, recognizing Alaric as one of the trauma surgeons at the hospital.

"How bad is it?"

_ "__I can't give you many details, but it's not looking good. Mrs. Salvatore is being rushed to surgery."_

"What happened?"

_"__She was in a car accident. A van hit the passenger side and her car rolled over. She took the full impact, although I have to admit that she was rather lucky."_

"We're on our way," I sigh. If anything happens to Elena I don't know if Damon will be able to handle it.

I pick up Damon's black leather jacket and leave some bills on the bar counter and half drag a shocked Damon out of the bar.

"I can't lose her Ric or the baby. Fuck I should've stayed home with her. That wouldn't have happened if I stayed there. What kind of accident was it Ric? Did they tell you?"

"It was a car accident. The car hit the passenger side."

"Why wasn't she at home? I just… I screwed up."

"Don't blame yourself Damon. There is nothing you could do to change what happened. She needs you right now Damon. And your kid too. Don't let yourself go down. Not now. You can't afford to do it. She'll be fine, okay? She's the most strong and stubborn woman I have ever met," I say trying to reassure him.

The rest of the ride to the hospital is silent. Damon seems much more aware of what's happening and he's no longer in the shocked state he was before.

Damon jumps from the car as soon as I stop outside the emergency room.

**Damon's POV**

The only thought I have in mind right now is Elena. She has got to be okay.

"Mr. Salvatore!" I hear Rose, one of my interns, calling.

"Rose. Have you heard anything about Elena?" I rushed.

"They told me to stay here to warn you. She was rushed to surgery."

"What kind of surgery Rose? Speak to me as a doctor not as the family of the patient."

"But you are the family of the patient." I give her a exasperated look. "Fine, I don't know much, but from what I heard the collision damaged her spleen. She was wearing the seatbelt, though from what I heard the van that hit her car was driving at about thirty miles per hour. She's having a splenectomy as we speak. She also has two fractured ribs and a broken one, which thankfully didn't collapse her lung. Those will heal over time, but she has a skull fracture. The CAT scans showed that surgery wasn't necessary to treat it; it will heal itself with time. We'll only know if she has any permanent brain damage when she wakes up. She also dislocated her shoulder and sprained her ankle. As far as I know she has no more injuries."

Although it could have been much worse she does have a handful of injuries. Luckily, most of them aren't life threatening. I'm mainly worried about the skull fracture. I've seen patients wake up with memory loss or permanent damage to the brain, and I couldn't imagine Elena having to deal with any of that.

"What about the baby? Did it survive?" I asked barely above a whisper.

"The baby is stable for now. She's not showing any sign of miscarriage. We're going to have to reduce the usual dose of painkillers though. She's going to be in a lot more pain, but we don't want to risk hurting the baby too."

"God... how long has she been in surgery?"

"Half an hour, give or take." I make a move to the surgery board "Damon, you know you can't go in. You have to wait in the waiting room."

"How do you expect me to wait in here when the love of my life might die at any second?"

"Then you know everyone who has their family here feels. You're her family therefore we have to treat you has family Damon. She'll be out in less than an hour, just be patient."

I don't fight her. It's not worth it. The only thing that I can do is wait and hope for the best. "Let me know as soon as it ends."

"I will."

As she left, Alaric arrived at the waiting room and we both waited silently for news. I never considered myself a religious man, but at that moment I was praying. Praying for Elena. Praying for my unborn child whom I discovered the existence of just today. Praying everything would be okay.

* * *

**45 Minutes later**

"Do you want me to call someone?" Alaric asked breaking the silence.

"I have to call Jeremy to tell him. And Stefan and Caroline." I say mentally exhausted. My head is starting to hurt and the hangover is starting to set in.

"Damon?" I hear Meredith Fell, one of the hospitals general surgeons, call out.

"Meredith. Is she alright?" I rushed.

"The surgery was successful. I still don't know about the head trauma and the next 24 hours will be crucial. We'll monitor her incision carefully and look out for any signs of infection, we'll have to monitor the baby closely as well."

"Thank god." I breathe with relief. Even though Elena and the baby aren't completely out of the woods yet everything seems to be better. It could have been so much worse. "Can I see her now?"

"Yes of course. Let's go."

She leads me to the ICU and I prepare myself for what I'm about to see. I can't deal with the idea of Elena being in a hospital bed, the last time she was in one it was after her parent's death. Another car accident.

"Here," Meredith opens the door and the sight in front of me breaks my heart into a million pieces.

Elena is lying in the bed with every kind of machine attached to her. She has a lash on her head and several bruises on the skin that I can see. She's covered with a comforter from toes to shoulder.

I sit on the chair beside her bed and put my hand under the comforter to hold her hand. Even after everything she stills looks peaceful in her sleep and I wonder how long it will take for her to wake up. There's never a time limit on these kinds of things, I just hope it's sooner rather than later. I need to see her open her eyes. I need to hear her voice again.

"I'm so sorry 'Lena. I shouldn't have left you. I should've stayed home with you instead of choosing to do to the bar. Now both you and our baby could die and I can't bear the thought of that happening," I whisper, tears streaming down my face as I kiss her forehead, being careful not to touch any sore spot even though she won't feel anything now.

* * *

I don't know how long it has been since I've been sitting in this chair. Meredith comes in the room with an ultrasound machine later, but I have no idea what the time is.

"I need to check if everything's okay."

I nod and see her pulling the comforter out of Elena's upper body. Her whole stomach is bandaged up from the surgery.

This is it. Meredith puts the cold gel over the unbandaged part of Elena's belly and starts looking for the baby's heartbeat.

A couple of minutes after a sound much like the sound of a galloping horse breaks the silence of the room.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Is everything alright?" I ask. I may have a medical degree, but I'm so distracted right now I could hardly see straight enough to figure it out for myself.

"Yeah, this little one is strong. Quite stubborn if you ask me, he or she is going to give you and Elena a lot of work when it grows up." I smile at that thought. "She seems to be about 6 to 7 weeks along. Do you know if she has an OBGYN already?"

"She told me she still hadn't visited one. She found out a week ago and told me today Meredith," I look at the time in the watch that is standing high on the wall. "Yesterday actually."

"Well congratulations then."

"Thank you. Now I just need her to wake up..."

* * *

**Elena's POV**

I try to open my eyes, but my eyelids are too heavy. I try to register what's going on, but no sound seems to be in the room other than the beeping machine that is giving me a killer headache adding to the one I already had.

I manage to move a finger and feel a hand curled around my own. I try to speak but all I can do is groan quietly.

"Elena…" I hear someone say. It takes me a few minutes to realize that it's Damon.

"Elena if you can listen to me, try to open your eyes," Damon whispers.

I force my eyes to open only being able to do it slightly. I see the most amazing view in front of me. My husband's ocean blue eyes, the eyes that made me fall in love with him even more.

I try to speak, but I notice a tube in my mouth and start freaking out. What is this thing?

"Meredith. You have to remove her endotracheal tube. I'd do it, but I don't think the hospital would allow that." I heard him say.

Twenty minutes after the horrific tube is removed and even though my throat is sore and dry I feel so much better not having it.

"Hey," Damon says.

"Hi," I manage to croak my voice as dry as sandpaper.

Damon lifts a cup of water and brings it to my mouth supporting my neck for me to be able to drink. After a few sips my throat starts to feel better.

"Are you okay?" Damon asks worriedly.

I try to register what I feel and my whole body seems to hurt. Especially my stomach area. Wait…

"The baby is fine 'Lena," Damon says as if he can read my mind.

"I… my whole body feels sore and I feel like I could sleep for days."

"We can't give you many painkillers because of the baby. You'll feel worse than you do now. I'm so sorry 'Lena."

I can see the guilt in his eyes and I can't believe that he's blaming himself for something he had no control on. "Damon," I manage to whisper. "Don't blame yourself, it wasn't your fault. You have your way of dealing and you did nothing wrong." I whisper my voice lower every single time. "I love you," I croak. Desperately wanting to close my eyes.

"I love you too baby, you have no idea how much. I was so worried about you and our baby. Everything's going to be fine now; Meredith is going to examine you to see if everything is going well. Don't fall asleep just yet."

I manage nod my head weakly trying not to fall asleep.

**Damon's POV**

I see Elena struggling not to fall asleep. The anesthesia is still in her system, which is making her unbearably sleepy.

Meredith comes in for a whole checkup and explains everything to Elena. After 10 minutes she says everything is okay and that Elena is now clear to go to sleep.

Elena, who by now is literally on the verge of dreamland, gives her a soft smile and holds my hand tight, happy to know that the baby is okay for now.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I said as a tear falls from my eyes and down my cheeks.

Elena shifts on the bed trying to make room for me and I chuckle. "Don't move Elena. I'll just have them put another bed in here."

The nurses bring another bed to the room, and I'm so glad that I work here because they're rarely this accommodating to regular patients. By the time everything is set in Elena has already fallen into a deep slumber.

I lay in the other bed without letting go of her hand and thank God that everything turned out okay. Even though Elena still has a lot of recovery time left and she's still has the risk on miscarrying everything is good for now.

I fall asleep, exhausted after an emotional roller-coaster of a day, looking at the woman that I love and watching her chest rise and fall; reassurance that she is still alive.

* * *

**AN: Here it is the next chapter. I told you I'd be updating sooner :) I might not update this Sunday though, I don't think I'll be emotionally stable to even attempt to write. **

**Thank you so much for everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed, every single time I get a notification I literally do a happy dance. You guys have no idea how much this means to me. With that being said thank you for helping me reach 50 reviews. I can't believe I reached them with my 3rd chapter.**

**I wanted to thank Zayra (typicaldamon) and Marty (delenashades) for the incredible support that they gave me and to my beta Emily (damon-sexatore) who has been the greatest help I could ever received and who helped me with the medical stuff. **

**I literally did a two hour research because I didn't want any non accurate fact. So if you find any mistake let me know.**

**Read and let me know what you think by reviewing maybe?**

**See you this or the next Sunday**

**Love,**

**Rita**


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